In Search of an Intelligent Woman
by justalittle l o o n y
Summary: When Scorpius Malfoy's dad pressures him to find a wife, his natural reaction is to go to the library. R/S


Hi everybody. This is my fist Rose/Scor story! I hope you like my characterization!

I wrote this for the following challenges:

The Slytherin Competition

Rose Vs. Lily Challenge

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy sat on a chair in the Slytherin common room, staring moodily into the fire. It was his free period, and it was an unspoken rule that he wouldn't leave for anyone but himself. Three people had tried to entice him out of his chair, but none of them had succeeded. Tom Goyle had come up to him, mumbling about needing help with homework and when Scorpius had raised an eyebrow icily, he'd run off. Anthony Nott tried to anger him out of the chair, but he just hit him with a _Silencio_ and he'd gone away. Blair Zabini had nearly succeeded in seducing him out of his chair, but eventually her alluring hazel eyes and long dark hair had gotten annoying, and he'd sent her away.

His father would have gotten angry at his abrupt dismissal of Zabini. He was _constantly_ trying to convince him to find a nice pure-blooded girl to bring up the family name, but Scorpius didn't really _do_ romance. In fact, he hadn't dated one girl in his entire time at Hogwarts. Sure, they were pretty, but when it came to intelligence, they held nothing to him. The Ravenclaws were intelligent, sure, but he didn't want just some nerd who could list facts; he wanted someone who could match wits with him. And there was no girl in Hogwarts who could do that, he was sure.

He sighed; the latest letter from his father had demanded that he was engaged by his graduation; by punishment of being disowned. Even if he wasn't a huge fan of his family, it would be a bit embarrassing to be disowned. So he had to find a suitable girl, and Merlin knew how long _that_ would take. He groaned, already mentally preparing himself for the countless girls he would have to interview. Unfolding his lanky body from the chair, he shouldered his bag. He figured he'd just go to the library. He could kill two birds with one stone by finding an acceptable girl _and _finishing his Transfiguration homework. Hopefully, being at the library would narrow down his choices; the likelihood of him finding a somewhat intelligent girl was greater there.

Hands in his pockets, he loped gracefully towards the library. A few girls giggled when they saw him, and he rolled his eyes. They didn't actually like him; he knew that. They just thought he was handsome. Which, in his opinion, was not a symptom of a crush.

Lost in his thoughts about idiotic girls, he found himself bumping into someone. Preparing to look down at a first year, he was surprised to find himself around the same height as the bemused girl standing in front of him. "Well, there's an interesting sight. Scorpius Malfoy out of the Slytherin common room during a free period?" she quipped. "Come to check out those idiots?" She pointed towards the blushing and giggling bimbos behind her, and the girl instantly intrigued him. She obviously wasn't a Slytherin; she was wearing a Gryffindor tie. And yet she was teasing him as though he was family! "You obviously came here for a reason," she continued, "as you don't seem surprised to be at the library. But, you aren't here to check out a book, the Malfoys always have all of their textbooks on the first day; and it's nearly February. So why _are_ you here?"

He was impressed by her quick analysis of his trip to the library, so he decided to enlighten her. "My father seems to think," he drawled, "that in order to raise the family status, I need to be engaged to a wealthy pure blood by graduation."

She raised an eyebrow (he was impressed, he thought he was the only one who could do that) but didn't question him. Apparently she knew of the strange ways of Malfoys (considering the fact that he was about to be disowned, he didn't really care about the insult). "Well, that should be easy. Just marry Emily Kelvis." She was referring to his most avid fan. He tended to ignore her most of the time, as she had several posters of him in her dorm.

He smirked, "That would be taking the easy route. I need a girl who matches or exceeds my intelligence."

She nodded, and then recited, "Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of intelligent women."

He nodded, struck with an idea. Not only did this girl understand completely, she could quote War & Peace! She was perfect for the role of his fiance. He couldn't believe that there actually was a girl who could match him in intelligence; he _had_ to know her name. "What is your name by the way?"

She smirked, "Oh no you don't! There is _no_ way I am going to marry you. I barely know you!" He gasped; mouth agape. She had seen right through him! "And," she added, "I have to go to Arithmancy. See you around." Scorpius was flabbergasted. He had had no idea this girl had existed! If he had, he might have changed his no-dating-girls policy. He continued standing there, shell-shocked, for another 20 minutes before he realized he had Arithmancy as well. With a loud cry, he raced off to the class.

Professor Vector looked up with a cold smile when he walked in. "Well, it seems Mr. Malfoy has finally decided to grace us with his presence," she remarked. The girl from before smirked and he smiled; she didn't giggle like most girls. This girl was definitely refreshing.

As the class went on, the girl consistently answered questions, and he wondered why he'd never noticed her before. It wasn't long before he figured out why. Her hair was not the fire-engine shade of red like the other redheads in the school, (most prominently, the Weasleys) it was a copper color. The fact that she was a Gryffindor, and Slytherins ignored Gryffindors on principal might have had something to do with that too. Even Slytherin himself hated Godric Gryffindor (Or so they said). He groaned, _she was a Gryffindor!_ His father would kill him for even considering a Gryffindor as a possible marriage choice. Gryffindor was a house with _Weasleys._

The Malfoys hated Weasleys. They multiplied like rabbits, they were poor, they had freckles, and they had no sense of dignity. In short; they were everything a Malfoy despised. Oh sure, in public they were sure to be respectful, but that wasn't out of actual respect! That was simply to maintain status. Because, as much as they hated to admit it, the Weasleys were popular in the Wizarding World. Especially as one of them married Harry Potter, the saviour of the Wizarding World. Marrying a Weasley would bring up the family status, but bring down his father's wrath; so it simply could not be done. Even if the person was only _associated _with the Weasleys.

Frowning in disgust, he walked down to dinner. Profesor Vector (who was muggle-born, if that mattered at all anymore) hated him for his prejudice, and had given him extra homework. At least he assumed it was for that reason. The idea that someone could dislike a Malfoy was simply absurd. _But, _he thought to himself, the mysterious girl seemed to know about the Malfoys, and what with her being in Gryffindor, most likely she had toyed with the idea of disliking him. And strangely enough, he didn't care.

Pondering the reason for his indifference, he looked up to ask Tom Goyle (who was eating most enthusiastically) for the butter. His and the girl's eyes me and she raised an eyebrow a him, as if to challenge him. It was unspoken, but they both understood. Whoever looked away first lost some respect in the others' eyes. Smirking, she blew a kiss at him and he looked away, heat rising up into his face. She returned to her dinner, with a triumphant look on her face, and he returned to his, feeling ashamed. Suddenly he didn't have much of an appetite.

As he lay in bed that night, he wondered what made that girl so _unnerving_. She was okay-looking, even if her teeth were slightly over-sized. _But that's not what you like about her, _his conscious told him. _That's not what you look for in a girl. _Yes, he agreed, intelligence was what he looked for in a girl. But that was the problem. That was what made her so unsettling. He had thought that there were no girls worthy of him, no girls who could match him in intelligence, and then, all of a sudden this girl had come along! Just as smart (or even maybe even more smart) as him!

_So what's so bad about that? _His conscious argued. _That's what you need. A girl to be engaged to; a girl who's just as smart as you._ And all of the sudden, all of the fight went out of him. Yes. That was it. It didn't matter that she was a Gryffindor. His father would be fine. And so would she. He just had to get to know her; and maybe at the end, propose. Yes, it was simple. Content with his conclusion, he went back to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up, jolly (or as jolly as he could be) as a St. Nick. He was ready to charm his mystery girl. Marching down to breakfast, he waved hello to several 1st years, and they looked at him, astonished. Scorpius Malfoy? Chipper? It had never happened before. Something had to have happened. But Scorpius kept bouncing, and greeting people until he reached his seat in the Great Hall. Nothing could go wrong, he was sure of it!

As the morning owl post came, he waited for the usual angry letter from his father. Instead of the usual black owl, a dappled brown horned owl flew over and dropped a letter in front of him. Cheerfully expecting the newest installment in his dad's anger, his merry facade wavered when he didn't recognize the handwriting.

_Hello Scorpius,_

_I couldn't help noticing your peppy demeanor this morning. Could it have been caused by me? If so, I'm deeply honored (note the sarcasm). If you're such a dimwit that you haven't figured out who this is; it's your "mystery girl". And quite frankly, you shouldn't be counting your chickens before they've hatched. You don't even know if I'm going to say yes. And even if I did, you don't know if I'm "suitable." You don't know if I'm pure-blood. Which, as a matter of fact, I'm not. I'm half-blood. My name is Rose Weasley._

He put the letter down, all traces of happiness gone. Rose Weasley. The girl was Rose Weasley. _Weasley. _Oh bugger. _Oh bloody hell._


End file.
